October Chronicles
by Mr. Wryte
Summary: Daisuke must summon his own Reikon Kensei if he wants to aid Hikari, a girl who has made hunting akuma her sole purpose and stop the Rapture which will bring about the end of the world.
1. Character Profiles

Here are the characters so far. Also this story is on FictionPress so I will include those that reviewed over there.

Name: Daisuke Tsukazawa

Age:15

Reikon Kensei: Daisuke's soul takes on the form of the large blade Hiryuu which is based on the fire element.

Shoukin: Hiryuu is covered in fire and turns into a katana Hibashira and it remains covered in a veil of fire.

Character Bio: Daisuke is Saru's younger brother. They live alone since their parents died in a fatal car accident though he never talks about with anyone but Saru or Kasai.

Appearance:. Daisuke has black spiky ruffled hair and turquoise eyes. He wears a cream colored open jacket with the collar turned up, a black shirt underneath the jacket, black jeans, and white sneakers

Personality: Daisuke is lazy yet determined to do anything, unless it requires his attention of course. He always likes to go to Gokuraku Lake where he goes to relax. He joins Hikari on her mission to defeat the Akuma so he can protect his sister. He also makes fun of Saru by calling her a monkey.

Other: Daisuke knows that Kasai has a crush on his sister Saru but he never lets him or her know.

Name: Saru Tsukazawa

Age:16

Reikon Kensei: None

Shoukin: None

Character Bio: Saru is Daisuke's older sister. Ever since the death of their parents she has been taking care of the both them. She constantly mothers Daisuke by waking him up every morning and cooking breakfast. After school on some days she works at the local store to earn money.

Personality: Saru is Daisuke's older sister who is mile above him in maturity levels. She still acts like a child at times and will bicker with Daisuke at times. This is her way of telling him that she cares for him and during their arguments she will sometimes hit him with a large mallet she calls Monkey Business.

Other: Despite her hate for being called a monkey she has a collection of monkey plush toys.

Name: Kasai Tsutoyoshi

Age: 15

Reikon Kensei: Kasai's soul takes on the form of the spear Aisuryuu which is based on the ice element.

Shoukin: Once Kasai activates his Shoukin all of his attacks have a freezing effect and he can also create blizzards in the area.

Character Bio: Kasai is Daisuke and Saru's closest friend. They have been since childhood. Kasai has a crush on Saru but he is afraid that Daisuke won't approve of the relationship.

Appearance: Kasai has fire red hair that is feathered in the back and brown eyes. He wears a white button down shirt with the top button open and blue jeans.

Personality: Kasai is lazy like Daisuke but will do things if told to. He is cool, calm, and collected but around Saru he is nervous.

Other: Kasai is a major otaku.

Name: Hikari Nokazoma

Age: 15

Reikon Kensei: Hikari's soul takes the form of two glaives Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi which are based on the sun and moon.

Shoukin: Her Shoukin attaches chains to the glaives giving her complete control over them. She can also detach the chains to trap her enemies.

Character Bio: Hikari has lived her entire life as a loner. She awakened her Reikon Kensei when her friends and family were killed by Akuma. She has made it her mission to destroy them all to avenge her loved ones.

Appearance: Hikari has silver shoulder length hair, chocolate brown eyes. She wears a black leather jacket over a white shirt and black pants.

Personality: She is cold toward others, but warms up to people with time. She is battle hardened and tough on Daisuke mostly.

Other: She seems to have respect for a special person…

The next characters belong to their creators and to the creators only.

**CHARACTER 1**

Name: Ichigo Kazakimi.

By: Ore-no-Senshi (FictionPress)

Age: 15

Reikon Kensei: Ichigo's soul takes the the form of a black katana, Kirvuu. Based on fire.

Shoukin: Kirvuu turns into a Claymore, Katabishiruu. Once activated all of his attacks have a burning effect. His attacks also seem to get stronger is Ichigo takes any type of damage.

Appearance: Black downward spiky hair. Brown a black shirt with a flame symbol. Regular blue jeans and black sneakers.

Personality: Calm, cool and collected. Normally anyway. Is normally calm enough to think his way through most situations.

Other: Is a closet Otaku. Has a part-time job at a Cosplay Cafe.

**CHARACTER 2**

Name: Sebastian Trakke

By: RayzerSharp  
Age)15  
Height)5'6  
Weight)130Lbs.  
Hair style)Wolfcut  
Hair Length)Just above shoulders.  
Color of hair)Black  
Eye color) One is red and other is black.  
Reikon Kensei(s)) Wields a long pike called Zak'Amar, which is mainly silver while the blade is tinted slightly gold with white symbols on it,which mean "Live free". Also wields two twin daggers named Hameere and Jajar which are both pure silver with gold tips on end of blade and more symbols on their blades meaning "Live happy".  
Personality of him)  
Sebastian is actually belongs to a royal family living in exile in Japan after being driven from their homeland of Africa while he was a growing up there, he's learned to speak Japanese almost fluently but still retains his African look and is mostly quiet, finding little to say when he can act instead and is very calm and collective, expected of a royal ,he's a is very chivalrous when it comes to fighting ,he would never fight against a girl and despises anybody who attempts to hurt the ones he single flaw is once his blood has been spilled by his hated enemy ,he goes into a battle crazy mental state, which means he doesn't think about anything except killing his opponent, no matter what the consequences may thought, he is simply a transfer student to Takinawa High school and is extremely elegant and level headed.

**CHARACTER 3**

Name: Maikeru Tapang

By: J. Frost (Fiction Press)

Age: 16

Reikon Kensei: his soul takes the form of Weighted-knuckle gloves/cestus. based on metal and earth?

Shoukin: when released he becomes heavily armored which amplifies his strength and durability, also increases his size.

Character Bio: lives alone in a cheap apartment and his powers awakened in a accident where he used to live.

Appearance: has dark blue hair and brown eyes, his usually clothing is a blue shirt and green cameo pants with a black jacket

Personality: generally a taciturn and sneaky smartass, but once in awhile gets hyper and idiotic.

Other: a huge horror movie fan with a job at a video store

**CHARACTER 4**

Name: Koyuki Tendo

By: Animate84 (FictionPress)

Age: 26

Reikon Kensai: Her soul takes the form of a naginata (sword/staff japanese weapon) where the blade is shaped like a snowflake. So it's obviously of the Ice element.

Shoukin: Mixing her life-force and a cold, calm aura into the blade, Koyuki can summon defensive shields of solid ice.

Char bio: Koyuki is a teacher of a charm school for girls, based on traditional japanese maidenship. However, her powers arose when some creature attacked her students. That came at a price, her students became fearful and Koyuki was alone. Even though she hides her strong feelings to many, her real fear is being alone. So she is fond of who befriends her.

Appearance: Koyuki has long back length icy blue hair, with added white blossom on top and warm pink eyes. Her clothing is a traditional kimono, which is white with silver snow drop details. A sunset red stash completes it. And sandals too.

Personality: Koyuki has the behaviour of a traditional Japanese maiden. Well-mannered, Friendly and always welcoming to others. Despite not having children of her own, she can appear motherly to younger people. Koyuki keeps strong emotions like fear, anger etc all hidden up inside. If someone is out of line or just being rude, a firm tap of her fan is expected.

Other: Koyuki has a huge sweet tooth for ice cream, candy etc.

**CHARACTER 5**

Name: Hageshii Kurosawa

By: Aero Lynx (FictionPress)

Age:14

Reikon Kensei: Soul takes form of crossbow, shadow or darkness based

Shoukin: When released she is able to make the enemy blind for a short amount of time

Character Bio: lives with father both mother and elder brother killed by Akuma while trying to protect her, usually wearing a heavy black jacket or hoody, jeans, and plain shirt

Appearance: light shoulder-length hair, deep green eyes, and a scar on her arm from fight that killed her family, see above

Personality: Very moody, one minute smartass next crying to hyper, though usually hyper.

Other: a general Otaku, and she makes it clear, also plays the baritone.

**CHARACTER 6**

Name: Hinshoto Yomota (Yomota is his first name)

By: BetaWriter (FictionPress)

Age: 17

Reikon Kensei: he has a gauntlet (a heavy, metal glove) called Dousu-rikai, which emmits a dark aura and increases his strength

Shoukin: His gauntlet transforms into a sword, which can morph into a scythe

Character Bio: He's never been a people person, due to seeing how people act when they think no one's around.

Appearance: He has white hair, blue eyes, he white jackest with a black stripe going down each sleeve, a black t-shirt, black pants, and white and black shoes.

Personality: He keeps quiet and serious. He does things to annoy athority figures, like teachers (ex. He'll sit in his chair backwards, with his legs up and his head under his desk).

Other: The only people he has no problem with is young children, to as far as doing tricks for them with the three sping tops he carries in his pockets.

**CHARACTER 7**

Name: Leo (Last name is a secret)

By: Evnyofdeath

Age: 20

Reikon Kensei: He uses "Blood Magic" Magic that lets him control his opponents blood. He can cause hemorages (internal bleeding), cut off blood flow, and heal his own flesh wounds.

Shoukin: N/A

Character Bio: As a kid Leo was ordinary, however when his family was slaughtered in front of him, he radically changed, becoming a heartless killer himself. He eventually learns how to use Blood Magic.

Personality: He is cold, abrasive and emotionless, however he puts on a facade of cheerfulness to fool others.

**CHARACTER 8**

Name: Izo Taki

By: KeiroTaki (FanFiction)

Age: 16

Reikon Kensei: It resembles two color pistols that have the element of wind and ice.

Shoukin: He change his wind pistol for a katana, which has the power to increase his speed and his ice pistol have been upgraded with faster fire rate, power, control and can changed into a sniper rifle.

Character Bio: When he was 10 he have awaken his power to used the Reikon Kensei. From then on he was training to used and master his power while at the same time doing good in school work. When he was 14 he have killed his first enemy but saw the result at the end of the battle. It was not a pretty sight. From then on he will no used his power again unless its an emergency.

Appearance:Black long short hair, blue eyes, 5'10", mostly dress up casually or casual formal

Personality: mostly care-free, happy and calm.

Other: Likes to draw, games, play guitar, listen to music and help other when needed.

**There are NO character spots left! Sorry! Also instead of seven there are eight characters. Why? Because I'm generous today. So I will make this ONE exception.  
**


	2. Episode 1: The Akuma Attacks

**A/N: This is a story I've working on for a long time. I haven't been able to type it up because I don't have a computer. Now I gotta laptop to do this on so now let's get to the nitty gritty. I only did character profiles for the those that appear in the first chapter so I've been thinking. Why not let the readers submit their own characters? So if you'd like to here is how the form should look. I'll only need seven OC's, remember seven OC's for this. Daisuke, Saru, Kasai, and the girl do not count for that. This is the first in the October Chronicles trilogy.**

**Name:**

**Age:**

**Reikon Kensei (Soul Power)/ Element- ex. fire, ice, etc.**

**Shoukin (Salvation) (Think of it as Bankai)**

**Character Bio:**

**Personality:**

**Other:**

**So let the story begin and don't forget to send in those characters.**

October Chronicles

Episode 1: The Akuma Attacks

The door of a room crashed to the floor with a loud bang. A girl stood in the doorway holding a large yellow and red mallet over her shoulder. Despite the loud noise the room's sleeping occupant did not wake. She walked over toward the bed then she abruptly tripped landing on the floor with a yelp. The person in the bed merely turned over with a groan.

_We go through this every day Daisuke, the girl thought as she stood up._

She brushed the dust off her blue blazer and black skirt then smoothed out her long blonde bangs out of her face. She raised her mallet into the air as her emerald green eyes took on a dark shade.

_This'll wake him up for sure, she smirked then she brought the mallet down with all her might._

The boy in the bed jolted from his sleep with a loud cry of pain and holding his head.

"Owww! Saru what the hell was that for?!" Daisuke shouted.

"I had to wake my little brother up somehow or he would be late for school. Now aren't I a good sister?" she smiled sweetly.

"HELL NO! GOOD SISTERS DON"T ABUSE THEIR BROTHERS WITH MALLETS!" Daisuke exploded.

"Hey shut it!" she conked him on the head again. "You really need to clean up your room. But since you won't do it yourself, I'll do it for you," Saru said.

"No leave like it is," Daisuke got up from his bed.

"Now hurry up and get in the shower, you smell like spoiled sushi."

Daisuke growled at his 15 year old sister. Even for a girl miles above him in maturity levels she still acted like a child. Half an hour later Daisuke came out of the bathroom. Saru took a look at her brother. He had black, spiky, ruffled hair, turquoise eyes wearing a blue blazer like Saru except he left his unbuttoned and a white button down shirt that had the top two buttons open and a blue tie. He also had the black slacks to finish off the Takinawa High School uniform. After the two ate a small breakfast they set off to school.

"So Daisuke Tsukazawa, got any girlfriends I should know about?" Saru walked backwards in front of him.

"Wait, huh. No," he replied.

"Ooh, one of my friends said she'd like to go out with you sometime."

"Are you talking about Shizuru? Not interested."

"Aww come on for me your dear sister?' she pleaded.

"I wouldn't date any of your friends if they were they last girl in the world," he bluntly stated.

"I hope you know that you just broke a girl's heart today," Saru said.

"Really? I'm flattered," Daisuke sarcastically said.

Saru growled.

Soon they reached Takinawa High School. Daisuke and Saru reached the front gate a boy waited there. Daisuke stopped to talk to this certain boy,

"Daisuke," he called his friend over.

"Kasai, how are you holding up?" he slapped his shoulder.

Kasai Tsutoyoshi was another student at Takinawa. More importantly he was Daisuke's best friend and the only who understood him. Kasai was about 15 the same age as Daisuke. He had fire red hair that feathered at the neck, brown eyes, and wearing the same uniform as his friend. He was also friends with Saru since childhood. Over time he had developed a crush on the boy's older sister but he knew Daisuke would kill anyone for even looking at Saru wrong but he'd never let him know and Daisuke would never let Saru know that he does care for her in his own way.

"I'm fine, but your head isn't," he grinned. "Let me guess, Saru," he pointed to the lump on Daisuke's head.

"Stupid monkey did this to me," Daisuke bawled his hand into a fist while growling angrily.

The bell rang signifying that class was beginning.

"Let's get to class before Mr. Akiba goes ballistic on us for being late."

The two friends made their way past the front gate and up the stairs of Takinawa High School.

Daisuke leaned back in his desk trying his best to pay attention but it was all in vain so he allowed his mind to drift to other places.

"Going off to the deep end Daisuke?" Kasai joked.

"Funny," Daisuke retorted. "You know how boring history class is to me. Thank God that this is the last class of the day."

"Teacher's gonna kill you, you know that right?"

"I'll live," Daisuke grinned

After another agonizing thirty minutes of history class the final bell for school rang ending classes for today.

"Daisuke don't leave without me, I've got my extracurricular clubs to go to," Saru called after her brother.

Daisuke groaned and walked out of the classroom and waited on the steps for his older sister. Kasai soon joined him.

"Stupid clubs," Daisuke muttered.

"Saru really is in a lot of clubs," Kasai sat down.

"Hey I got an idea, how about you stay and wait for Saru?" Daisuke said as he rushed off.

"Hey wait a minute where are you going?!" Kasai shouted.

"My secret place," with that Daisuke was gone.

"Always leaving me alone to clean up his dirty work," he cursed the boy.

"I swear one day-"

"What's wrong Kasai?" Saru asked.

_Uh-oh, he thought._

"Hey where's Daisuke?" she said.

"I didn't notice you there Saru," Kasai nervously rubbed the back of his head.

_Where did she even come from? I didn't hear the door open._

"Where's Daisuke?"

"Well he-"

"He left didn't he?" Saru cut him off.

"Yeah," Kasai replied. "But he told me to walk you home,' he added.

Saru sighed and walked down the steps.

_At least he cared enough to leave me with someone safe, she thought._

Daisuke was relaxing at his favorite place in the world. Gokuraku Lake. This was where he would go to get away from it all. His sister, school, homework. He would also go here just to think. Soon the fireflies would come out and give him a personal front row seat of their dance in flight.

"I haven't been here in a long time," Daisuke put his backpack next to the tree and sat down on their ground.

"I could stay here forever," he allowed the firefly dance to lull him to sleep.

Unfortunately he knew couldn't stay out too late. The reasons being that his sister would rip him a new one and that lately grisly murders had been occurring all around Sakurazu Town. The evidence that victims had claw marks on them. After sleeping for a while Daisuke retrieved his backpack and began to make his way home.

"I wonder if Kasai and Saru got home safely," he voiced his thoughts aloud while turning a corner on the street.

_I bet she took her anger out on him, he thought with a smile._

All was peaceful for a the next minute when suddenly a girl flashed past his line of sight in a dash over his head and a werewolf like monster followed suit.

"What the hell was that?" Daisuke took off in the direction the girl was heading which happened to be the school courtyard.

Within seconds he reached the school. The girl and the monster stood still as he watched them from in between to bushes. The girl had silver shoulder length hair, wearing a black leather jacket over a white shirt and black pants. Her chocolate brown eyes were burning with hate toward this…thing.

_What the hell is going on here? The boy thought. And are those things she's holding?_

The things the said girl was holding were two glaives.

"Sun Riser!" she threw the first weapon glowing with yellow energy. "Moon Crescent!" she threw the second glowing with black energy.

The glaives slashed at the monster's legs as it charged toward her. Blood spurted out from the lost appendages as the monster howled in pain then fell to the ground. The glaives returned to the girl as she effortlessly caught them.

"Thank you Amaterasu, Tsukiyomi," she said to the weapons as if they were real.

The weapons then faded away as she turned around to walk away. Little did she know that this monster had a trick up its sleeve. The legs that were cut off from it suddenly began to reattach themselves. The monster stood on its legs then rushed after the girl with no thought taken.

"Hey, watch out!" Daisuke shouted before his mind could catch up to what he said.

The girl turned around to see the thing coming after her but could not make a move to dodge as the monster's claw cut her leaving a deep cut with blood staining her clothes. She crashed into the tree next to Daisuke. The monster slowly walked toward her immobile body savoring the prey it just caught. Daisuke had to help the girl somehow but he didn't have any type of weapon to defend himself. He ran from the bushes.

"Hey ugly over here!" the boy taunted.

The girl's eyes widened in horror. Someone had been watching her. If she had seen him earlier she would've been able to protect them from the monster.

_Not again, she thought_.

Another innocent would die because she couldn't do anything about it.

"Yeah, I called you ugly. Here's some fresh meat right over here," Daisuke motioned to himself.

"You idiot! Run! If you don't you'll be killed!" she yelled.

_It won't work, akuma only eat people that have potential to use reikon kensei or those that already have one. You have died for nothing, she thought._

Surprisingly, the monster turned away from her and focused attention on Daisuke.

_What?! What reikon does he wield?_

The akuma licked it's lips then charged Daisuke. The boy screamed then ran away. The akuma quickly caught up to him and knocked him into a nearby tree. Daisuke hit it with a loud thud and fell to the ground. It stood over him and howled in appreciation that caught a second meal.

"About calling you ugly back there. Sorry about that, so can you not eat me?" Daisuke said.

The akuma roared it's answer.

"I guess not."

Just when the akuma reared it's head back to feast time seemed to go in slow motion. The next thing he saw was a glaive ripping through its chest and another one beheading it as a geyser of blood forced itself out. It fell over and vanished like shifting sands. The girl took the place of the akuma.

"So you actually survived?" the girl limped toward Daisuke with one hand over her wounded chest.

"Yeah I guess you could say that," he joked before gritting his teeth in pain. "Are you all right?"

"I only saved you because I like you," she said.

Daisuke blushed before letting the concussion from the nasty collision with the tree force him into unconsciousness.

_I can feel his reikon, it's powerful but it needs to be awakened, she thought._

_**A/N: So what do you think? Give me feedback. I can't get better unless you do. So help a brother out and click that white button at the bottom. Maybe you can awaken the reikon kensei within you. And don't forget to leave a OC in your review. Until the next time and stay tuned for the next episode!**_


	3. Episode 2: Burning Soul

**A/N: Here goes the second episode of the October Chronicles. Remember, I need 7 OC submissions, first come first serve. More importantly don't forget to review it after you finish reading! **

Episode 2: Burning Soul

Daisuke instantly woke up from his sleep only to the smashed in the face with a mallet.

"Saru! That hurt!" he pinched his nose.

"Where were you all last night? I was alone all by myself!" she put the mallet down.

"Kasai was with you right? You were fine," he waved a assuring hand at her.

Something was off, he remembered passing out in the school courtyard and…that girl! Images of her began to flash through his mind. So that left one question. How did he get into his room? The only realization he came to was that she dropped him off here. But what about her? She sustained injuries far worse than his.

"But still I was here all by myself, a robber could've broken in here. Hey, where did you get that bump on your forehead?" Saru asked puzzled.

"If I remember correctly, it came from you hitting me on the head with your mallet," Daisuke replied with sarcasm.

_With extra damage from being knocked into a tree by a monster, he thought._

"Anyway get up and get ready for school," Saru walked out of the room.

Daisuke got out of bed to begin the day's mundane tasks that he repeated on a weekly basis. Except that yesterday was a huge bonus.

"Daisuke? Are you ready yet?" Saru asked from downstairs.

"Almost, just give me a second," he replied.

Saru heard footsteps and turned around to find Daisuke coming down the stairs. A knock on the door came as she grabbed her backpack.

"Who could that be?" she ran to the door was the knocking speed increased.

"What?" Saru flung the door open. "Oh Kasai, it's you."

"Good morning Saru. Did Daisuke get home last night?" he asked worried about his friend.

"I'm alive Kasai. I won't die, at least not today," Daisuke said.

"I thought one of those monsters would've gotten you," Kasai said.

_It's real funny Kasai, because one of them almost did kill me, he thought to himself._

"No way I'm letting one of those things do me in," Daisuke said slapping his chest.

"All that talk about demons and monsters on the news. It's all just a bunch of lies so the media can make money," Saru exited the house and two boys soon followed.

"What do you mean by that Saru?" Kasai asked quizzically.

"It's all just a bunch of lies to keep us on our couch," she stated. "Besides, I wouldn't put much stock in those stories."

"But what if they are true?" Daisuke asked.

"Well, I don't know what to say then," Saru shrugged and continued on to school.

Kasai and Daisuke stood there in silence for a second.

"So, where were you last night?" Kasai asked with a rub of his chin.

"At the usual spot, you know," Daisuke walked ahead.

"Something's off, you look like you were doing something else while you were there," Kasai caught up to his friend before he could get away.

"Nothing happened but me falling asleep and waking up too late," he said making sure to leave out the part about seeing the monster and the girl.

"How long are you gonna beat around the bush?" Kasai asked.

"Don't beat a dead horse man."

"All right, all right," Kasai threw his hands up in surrender.

The duo reached class before the bell could ring saving them from certain detention and earning a lecture from Saru about being late.

"Students, we have a new student in our classroom," Mr. Akiba said.

"Oooh, fresh meat," Kasai joked while Saru rolled her eyes and focused her attention to the front with curiosity as to who the new student was.

Daisuke simply leaned his chair back and looked to the ceiling. He could care less about some student looking to go to school because something else had his attention. Namely that being the girl and monster.

_Where did she come from and who was she? He thought._

"Please welcome Nokazoma Hikari," Mr. Akiba motioned to the door for the person to come in.

A small girl of about 15 stepped through wearing the school uniform, silver shoulder length hair, chocolate brown eyes that could melt even the coldest of hearts, a innocent smile that graced her features along with a backpack hanging on one strap to top it all off. Many boys in the classroom had focused their gaze on the beautiful girl in front of them. While Daisuke's was of pure horror.

"Hey!" he jumped out of his seat without thinking.

Now the eyes of the room were locked on to him.

"Is there something wrong Mr. Tsukazawa?" Mr. Akiba said with a irritated voice.

He had to come up with something quick.

"Oh nothing, she's just…an old friend," he smiled to persuade the teacher.

"If you're done making a fool of yourself class can resume. Ms. Nokazoma please take a seat behind our jester."

Before doing so she cast the young boy a menacing glare.

"Looks like new girl's got it out for you," Kasai said with a grin.

"Where did you meet her?" Saru asked.

"None of your business," Daisuke responded.

Saru scoffed as Hikari took her seat behind Daisuke.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do," Daisuke said.

"You shouldn't have gotten involved. It's none of your business," she said taking notes on the lesson.

"I'm sorry FOR SAVING YOUR LIFE," he whispered. "And I think it became my business when a monster leaped over my head."

"I'm sorry for saving yours," Hikari coldly replied.

"Why the hell are you here?" Daisuke said. "You've got a lotta nerve showing up here after last night."

"Shut up, someone will hear," she quieted the boy.

Daisuke sighed.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Hikari replied.

"That hit you took, is it okay? You're not hurt or anything are you?"

She rubbed her chest. "I'll live."

The bell soon rang and Hikari was the first one out of her desk. Daisuke proceeded to stand when he saw the small piece of paper on his desk.

"Meet in the forest clearing behind the school courtyard after school," it read.

"Whoa, Daisuke, didn't think you'd get her number that fast," Kasai said congratulating his friend.

"It's not her number, she just wants me to meet her somewhere."

"Where?" the red head asked.

"You think I'm going to tell you?" the boy answered.

"My brother is going to get a girlfriend," Saru beamed.

"I don't ever remember you coming home with any boys Saru," her brother replied in a joking manner.

"I'm just waiting for the right one you know? True love." she said dreamily.

"Whatever, I'm gone," he walked out of the classroom.

The bell sounded as multiple students walked quickly out of Takinawa High School, happy that the weekend had finally come. A certain boy was being pushed forward among the ranks of the students forcing him to the ground.

"Damn," Daisuke cursed.

He hated being knocked around. Kasai walked by the boy and offered a helping hand.

"Nah, I'm good," he stood up.

"You going to go see that girl? What was her name again? Nokazoma?" the red head scratched his head.

"Yeah, I was on my way there. So I guess I'll see ya around. Hey can you walk Saru home for me? I think I'm gonna be late."

_Real late, he thought._

"At you least you didn't rush off before hearing my answer this time," he smiled."Sure, I'll do it."

"Thanks man," Daisuke gripped his best friend's shoulder tightly before rushing off to the forest clearing.

Hikari was already waiting for Daisuke when he got there. The forest clearing was cut off, private, and no one could see them. Perfect for having secret meetings and perfect for a couple of teenagers to talk about demons.

"Didn't think you'd show up Daisuke," she stepped away from the tree she was leaning against.

"Well, I'm here," Daisuke set his backpack on the ground.

"Where do you wanna start?"

"How about that thing that tried to kill us both?"

"Those things are called Akuma," she said moving toward the tree where Daisuke stood.

"Akuma? Demons?"

"Yes, the very sort. They feed on people who can summon powerful weapons like these," Hikari didn't move a muscle as the two glaives materialized in her hand. "Or people who have the potential to do so. These are the manifestation of my Reikon Kensei or Soul Power. Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi."

"How come I can't do that?" Daisuke questioned.

"You have the power to awaken the burning soul within you," she touched Daisuke's chest with as a small ember burned there then burned out as she removed the appendage. "But you are not ready."

"So as long as I have this soul power within me, the akuma are like bees to honey?" he said.

Hikari nodded.

"I am here to destroy them before lives are lost and for revenge," she hissed the last statement out.

"What did they do to you?"

"It's not important," Hikari said. "You just need to stay away from me. Or you won't be so lucky when the next demon finds you."

"I'm not lucky right now!" Daisuke shouted. "I'm friggin' fish bait right now!"

He quickly came to a realization as she began to walk away.

"Stay away from me or...I'll kill you myself," she said.

Daisuke could feel the murder intent coming from her.

"Hey wait," he called after her.

"What if I help you fight the Akuma?" he asked.

"No, you'll just get yourself killed. You are unfit for this life," Hikari said tiurning to face him.

"You're a waste of time," she said.

"The Reikon Kensei in me isn't doing any good sitting there," Daisuke argued.

"Think about it, if you get killed by the Akuma, who will protect your sister?""

"I don't have to tell you what you have to do now, do I?"

The boy remained silent still.

"Stay away before you seriously get hurt and I have to do more explaining of the supernatural," Hikarii walked off leaving Daisuke to reflect on his choice.

**A/N: Good? Bad? Please review on your way out. And seriously do that. I got seven hits and none of you readers reviewed. Show some respect for the author who writes a story. They put time and effort into their writing for YOU TO READ AND REVIEW IT. I'm sure you want people to review your story. So please review and leave an OC in it if you want to. Thank you.**


	4. Episode 3: Shadows of the Past

**A/N: Well, hello everyone I have returned. Please see my profile bio for details regarding my absence. I would not like to waste an author's note on it. By the way this is a just a rewritten upload of Episode 3 to get my brain working again. Episode 4 will arrive later.**

Episode 3: Shadows of the Past

Daisuke woke up of his own free will this time. He looked around for Saru just in case she was waiting for him to wake and let him walk into a mallet smash in the face. Thankfully, she wasn't anywhere to be found. But that wasn't the only thing occupying his mind right now.

"Stay away from my world," Hikari coldly stated to him. "Or I'll kill you myself before the Akuma do."

She even brandished Amaterasu to prove her point as she walked out of the forest clearing. Daisuke nearly wet his pants listening to her make that threat. She had a good point too. If he did decide to fight with her and he died, Saru would be all alone. But he was fish bait for the akuma with this…soul power inside of him waiting to be awakened. Either way he would be dead two ways: being fish bait and fighting alongside Hikari. Daisuke decided to think nothing more of the topic and began to get ready for school. Saru would probably be in his room soon.

"Daisuke!" Saru ran into his room. "Oh, you're already up."

"Yeah, I know the drill," Daisuke waved her away.

Minutes later Daisuke was dashing down the stairs backpack in hand where Saru waited for her younger brother.

"Daisuke can you walk me to the grocery store after school today? I have to work so I'll be late coming home," Saru asked.

"Hmm?" he replied.

"I have to work at the grocery store so I'll be late coming home tonight," Saru repeated.

Daisuke groaned. He hated doing this because the store was too far out and he was too lazy to walk out there. But she was his sister so he would do it anyway. Also if he didn't do it she'd bash his head in.

"All right."

Soon a knock came to the door.

"I got it," Daisuke left his breakfast on the table.

"What's up Kasai?" he said expecting the person to be his best friend but instead he got a rude awakening.

"I'm fine Daisuke," a female voice said.

"Who is it Daisuke?" Saru called to him.

"Nobody, I'm heading off to school now," Daisuke quickly closed the door behind him.

"You forgot- your backpack," she finished as the door closed.

There wasn't any point in trying to catch up with him. He was probably half way there already.

"I thought you wanted me to stay away from you. Now you're coming to me, you must be looking for a reason to kill me," Daisuke internally shuddered.

If those glaives could rip apart akuma then he didn't want to know what they could do to humans.

"I'm not looking for a reason to kill you. If I wanted to kill you you'd already be dead," Hikari said bluntly.

"Whatever, why are you here?" Daisuke folded his arms.

"I-I-I-I," she stuttered.

"Come on spit it out," Daisuke said impatiently.

"I forgot the way to school," she blushed.

Daisuke tried his hardest not to laugh. A girl who probably wasn't afraid to have a stare down with God himself forgot the directions to school. Daisuke let out small bursts of snickers before exploding in a sheer fit of laughter.

"It's not funny," Hikari turned away from him.

The young boy laughed for a minute longer before looking at the warrior before him.

"Are you done yet?" Hikari asked gritting her teeth.

"I'm sorry, but it was just too funny," Daisuke slapped his knee.

"Can you just lead me to the school?" Hikari said pleadingly.

"Yeah ok," the boy walked ahead of her.

The two walked a long way with silence enveloping them. Daisuke decided to break the silence.

"How long have you been killing akuma?" he asked scratching his head.

"I told you before, my personal life is none of your business," Hikari said turning her head away from him.

She couldn't allow him to become friends or anyone else in that matter. If they did she would be distracted from her mission to kill the demons that killed her friends and family before. She vowed to kill them all so she could put their souls to rest.

_I swore to kill them all even if it was the last thing I did, she thought to herself._

Then she fainted suddenly her body falling slack as Daisuke barely caught her within his arms.

"Hey you all right?" Daisuke said lightly shaking her to awaken her.

He looked all over her body to find a problem yet he found none. Then he saw red on her school uniform shirt.

Just as he suspected.

_More akuma hunting, he thought._

He stood up and began to carry her to school.

_I wish you would just let me help you Hikari_.

But how was he going to do that if he can't even awaken the power that sleeps within him?

Hikari woke in the infirmary.

"What happened to me?" she rubbed her head.

Then she saw Daisuke.

"It's okay, Daisuke, Hikari just lost a lot of blood," the doctor assured the turquoise eyed boy.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Ah, you're up Ms. Nokazoma, I just want to run a few tests to make sure you're all right," the doctor smiled.

"You fainted just so know," Daisuke said as they walked out of the infirmary. "I think I know why, akuma hunting," he said in a smartass tone.

Hikari nearly punched his lights out right there.

"You didn't need to help me back there. I was only tired and needed rest," she said.

"That's not what the blood stains on your shirt told me," Daisuke replied.

"Do you ever mind your own business?" the female warrior scolded him. "Time and time again I've told you to stay away from me. Can't you see that I'm trying to protect you?" Hikari was annoyed with the boy.

"Sometimes even the protectors need protecting," Daisuke said. "That was something my dad always told me, before he…" Daisuke didn't finish the sentence. "My point is that sometimes you need help even though you think you don't. People will help if you'll let them."

Daisuke walked off so he wouldn't be late to next class as the bell rung.

_Help? Hikari thought. _

She really did need it but her pride wouldn't let her accept it. She wouldn't let herself be the damsel in distress. Hikari decided to leave school early to hunt down some akuma.

"Daisuke where the heck where you for last five periods?" Saru scolded the boy.

"I was helping Hikari with her homework," he lied.

"Oh?" Kasai butted in. "You gave her a good ride on the baloney pony didn't you?" the red head said lecherously.

That earned a smack from Saru with her mallet.

"OWWW! Where the hell did that come from?" he held his nose in pain blood running out of it.

"Pervert!"

"That doesn't give you a reason to break my nose!" the boy whined.

"Where did you pull the mallet out from?" Daisuke questioned.

"It's my secret weapon," Saru waved Monkey Business around before dropping it into her backpack unnoticed by the two boys.

The bell sounded once more for the day indicating school was over for the day. Daisuke was still debating in his head whether he should go to Gokuraku Lake.

_Damn, can't do that today gotta walk Saru to the store, he thought._

"Daisuke don't forget to walk with me to the store," she called to him as he dashed out of the classroom.

He waited on the steps for Saru for a few minutes. Then he saw Hikari, she seemed to be deep in thought about something.

"Are you okay? I mean you're not gonna faint on me again are you?" Daisuke said.

She didn't answer. She turned her head to him.

"What happened to your father?" she asked solemnly.

"My mom and my dad…they died," he paused.

This was a hard subject for Daisuke to talk about. He only talked about his parents deaths with Kasai or Saru. Hikari was the first person outside the two.

"They were just going out to get groceries," Daisuke continued.

Hikari was listening respectfully hanging on to every word.

"Then some drunken bastard sideswiped them. It crushed the car…and the occupants inside," he finished the small story.

He looked to Hikari who had now stood up. This was her first time telling her life story to anyone.

"My family was killed as well…but by akuma," she began. " 6 years ago. My family were able to use reikon kensei and were training me to summon mine.

_Flashback-6 years ago_

A 10 year old Hikari ran through a forest as quick as she could. She wore a white blouse with blue and white stripes, black pants that had a white star on the left leg and white and red sneakers. She reached a small cottage like house that was hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the city in a deep forest. The twilight sun cast a shimmering glow on the lake. Taking a step up to the door, she barged through the door triumphantly. The cottage wasn't very large on the inside. The dining room and living room were connected and the washroom and separate rooms had doors.

"I finally beat Tadashi home!" the yell startled an elderly woman sitting in a chair a few feet from the girl.

"Hikari, it's good to see you've improved your speed," the elderly woman said.

"Thank you Grandmother," the girl humbly bowed.

Her grandmother always wore clothes that would block her face from others which was a wide garden hat, grey turtleneck sweater, and blue pants. She was knitting a sweater which was nearly complete.

"But, your speed is not enough to beat me sis," a deep, baritone voice rumbled in the house.

A boy of about 18 years old stepped out from behind a door. This boy was indeed Tadashi. He had short spiky black hair, emerald eyes, wearing a blue jacket vest with white stripes across the front, blue jeans, and black boots.

"Damn it," the young girl whispered.

"Watch your mouth young lady, I don't tolerate that kind of language in my house," Grandmother scolded her.

"Yes Grandmother," Hikari replied.

"I don't know where she gets it from," she glared at Tadashi from under her hat.

Tadashi sweat dropped.

"I think I'll go out for a while," he said looking for a reason to get out of the house.

"Can I go with him Grandmother?" Hikari pleaded as her brother made his way to the door.

Grandmother took a look at Hikari. The girl was dirty and needed a long rest after training.

But then again maybe she did deserve a reward for actually training this time instead of slacking off with Tadashi.

"Okay, but don't stay out late," she said.

"Yay!" an excited Hikari sped out the door.

Tadashi motioned himself to follow her before she got too far.

"Oh and Tadashi?"

"Yes Grandmother?" said person turned to her.

"Be careful," she said looking out the window. "The akuma are acting up tonight. Tread carefully and keep Hikari safe."

"I gotcha Grandmother," Tadashi exited the home.

"I fear a powerful akuma's presence," she stopped her knitting. "Beware you two, the worst may happen."

Meanwhile the brother and sister were making their way toward the city.

"Tadashi! Let's go get ice cream!" the energetic youth ran around the older male.

Tadashi chuckled at Hikari.

"Sure, I'll get your favorite this time. We'll have to eat it fast though, its getting pretty late," he answered watching the sun slowly disappear behind the duo.

Merely minutes later the two were sitting at the table enjoying the frozen treat. They sat alone amongst the other tables full of occupants that the ice cream shop provided. It had the plain outlook of a regular pizza parlor but Tadashi couldn't tell if the black and white tiles were plain. It seemed more like a plain bad taste in flooring. Hikari sighed in contentment with a smile on her face from consuming the ice cream.

"Chocolate and vanilla swirl is the best, Tadashi," Hikari said.

"I still can't see how you can stomach that. It looks like swirls of poop," he smiled at her while licking his ice cream cone filled with vanilla and topped with nuts and a cherry drizzled in caramel and chocolate.

"It does not!" she protested.

Tadashi continued to laugh at his sister's antics as she went on rambling at him about chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream. Soon the ice cream shop closed and the two began their trip home. Tadashi led Hikari through a park as a shortcut.

"Tadashi, I'm sleepy," Hikari said whining.

"We'll be home shortly just be patient," he said.

Akuma began to appear from out of nowhere and obstructed their path.

"Guess Grandma's always right when she says something's wrong," Tadashi said putting himself between Hikari and the akuma.

"What?" she said fully awake and aware of the battle to occur. "Let me fight with you."

"Not this time. You can still barely summon your reikon kensei."

"Just watch this. Amaterasu! Tsukiyomi!"

The girl stretched out her arms and tried to materialize the glaives but they merely faded in and out of existence before dissipating. Hikari pouted at her failed attempt.

"Toraiejji form Geiruburedo!" Tadashi shouted as the wind around him swirled into his hand forming a katana with Japanese characters spelling out 'wind' and it glowed with a green energy.

"Kaze no hankon!" he slashed forward releasing a cutting vacuum of wind that decimated all in its way.

The four akuma left standing were launched skyward.

Weapon change Nami no rasshu!" he shouted as the katana turned into a whip with a watery lash and he leaped into the air unleashing attacks on the group of four demons.

After that he exchanged weapons once more.

"Raikiri!"

The whip turned into an Excalibur-like sword that crackled with electricity. He cleaved through them as a thundering trail followed behind him mercilessly frying the akuma and they exploded into nothingness.

"Wow! Tadashi's so cool!" Hikari said amazed with her older brother's abilities.

"Now come on, lets get home before everyone starts worrying," he smiled.

The brother and sister had made their way home but all was not as they left it. Their cottage by the lake was ablaze and a demon was flying above approving of the damage it had caused. The demon was as black as night, its wings also black with red tips. It had long claws for hands and sharp talons and a long black tail with an even sharper stinger at the end.

"Such pitiful humans thought they could face the true power of a demon. But their screams. Oh how I enjoyed their screams as they died. The look on the their face was priceless as I saw the despair in their eyes," it laughed maniacally as its red eyes glowed malignantly.

Hikari and Tadashi stared in horror as they watched their home burn to cinders. Tadashi gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.

"Hikari get away from here and hide," he said as his hair hid his eyes from view.

"Tadashi?"

"Get outta here!"

Hikari obeyed and she darted into the nearby forest.

Tadashi, knowing she was safe, looked toward the mystery attacker.

"You bastard."

"Hmm?" The demon focused his attention to the boy.

"You heard me. You'll pay for the crimes you have committed to my family. Toraiejji!"

Tadashi called Geiruburedo to his side.

"Another challenger with reikon kensei eh? I accept," he said smiling devilishly.

Tadashi rushed toward the demon leaping into the air where claws met blade. The demon pushed him back toward the ground.

"Care to try again?" he said motioning Tadashi to attack again.

Hikari watched the battle unfold before her eyes. Her brother was sure to win. Nothing could beat him. Tadashi spun away from a claw and sliced at the akuma who in turn dodged for a counter of its own. It was a fight of who would concentration of the other's movements and suffer a fatal wound. Tadashi back stepped away unleashing his special attack.

"Kaze no hankon!" The vacuum cut its way toward the demon.

It put up its arms in defense successfully blocking it and the storm of sharp winds whipped around its form.

"You can't kill me with a simple attack like that," it said and it lowered the defense finding that Tadashi was nowhere to be seen.

"Where are you hiding?" it growled.

"Odin no buredo!" Tadashi exclaimed as Raikiri crackled angrily with electricity and he dashed through the demon from above a trail following behind him and then a bolt of thunder struck the ground maximizing damage.

The demon roared in pain before crashing to the ground dead. Hikari smiled in satisfaction. Their family had been avenged by the great power from Tadashi's Toraiejji, a weapon that had three forms depending on its wielder. Tadashi then hung Raikiri over his shoulder as he walked toward Hikari with a smile on his face.

"Well that was fairly easy."

Hikari ran up to her brother and embraced him.

"I knew you'd beat him."

"Not quite," the demon groaned as he stood to his feet.

"What?" Tadashi shouted. "How did you survive?'

"I won't be killed that easily. You gave me quite the run there. Now tremble in fear of my true power."

In an instant the demon was in front from him.

_So fast!_ Tadashi thought.

"Hikari ru-" his words were cut short as he was sent skyward.

"You're next," the demon said staring into the child's eyes paralyzing her with fear.

The demon took flight after Tadashi and attacked him furiously from all sides. Hikari eyes couldn't keep up with the speed. Its was like he was everywhere at once. Hikari's eyes began to tear up as she watched the demon beat Takashi to a pulp. The relentless and furious attacks soon ended and the demon made one more strike knocking him to the ground hard bringing up a plume of dust. The akuma floated back down to the ground with his wings. Tadashi struggled to move his broken, battered, and bloodied body.

"Pathetic," he said picking the fallen challenger up by his head and squeezing it forcefully and he cried out in pain.

"Hikari, please get away from here," Tadashi weakly moaned out.

The said child could barely move. Her eyes watery and leaking tears she began to move her feet but the demon was already in front of her grabbing her by the throat.

"Hmm, I think I'll let you live. Tell everyone to cower in fear of Astaroth's power," he said bringing out his evil laugh. "This world will end in Rapture."

Astaroth released the young girl and she greedily gasped in air to breathe.

"But first I will leave you with no hope and nothing but despair to cling to."

Astaroth disappeared and reappeared behind Tadashi picking him up to his knees by his hair. The boy coughed up blood and it stained his already bloody and dirty clothes.

"Tadashi," she said her voice raspy.

"Hi-ka-ri," the said in between pants.

Astaroth's clawed hand pierced through Tadashi's chest and blood spurted forth spilling into the grass. His eyes once full of life dimmed and they became blank and he dropped dead to the ground.

"TADASHI!" she screamed her eyes sprouting tears and then suddenly she was silent.

The murderer looked toward the girl. There was a strange silvery light emanating from her.

"DIE!" she shouted and two throwing projectiles materialized and flung themselves toward Astaroth.

"What the- ?"

He couldn't finish the sentence as one of the projectiles cut him across the face inflicting sharp pain to him and he roared in pain.

"Damn you," he said.

Hikari found that the demon was in front of her and she was cut across the chest hard blood leaking from the fresh wound.. Her newly found reikon kensei faded into the air and she backed against a tree clutching her chest and gritting her teeth and pain.

"Now I think I really will leave you alive but not without repay. We both have scars now. Like brother and sister," Astaroth's grin stretched to both sides of his face.

"We'll never be family. I'd sooner die," the girl hissed.

"Silly we are. There's a demon inside you just waiting to pop out. Just give him some time you know?"

"Shut up!"

Astaroth laughed.

"I guess I'll see you when I'm destroying the world," he said vanishing from sight in a tornado of black flames.

Hikari then found her vision getting dimmer and her last sight was of Tadashi's lifeless body.

"And after that I woke up, my wounds were healed by the reikon kensei and made it my mission to destroy that vile demon. Astaroth," Hikari said ending her tale.

"What's Rapture?" Daisuke asked.

"I've no idea, but I'm damn sure its not good at all," Hikari said standing up.

"Akuma," Daisuke said clenching his fist.

"I must leave now, your sister is your important duty as of now."

With that said, Hikari jumped away and disappeared into the trees. Daisuke stood there and watched her leave.

"Hikari…you definitely can't fight him alone this time. I'll help you and protect those close to me," he said to no one in particular.

"All right Daisuke. I'm ready lets go," Saru said appearing from the school entrance.

The couple began the long walk to the grocery store.


	5. Episode 4: The Strength to Protect

**A/N: I felt really stupid back there. I uploaded that Episode 3 rewrite which revealed that Daisuke had unlocked his Reikon Kensei and deleted the old one which detailed the actual events as to how he got his powers. That was a noob move back there. So I'll just count that chapter as a back story reveal on Hikari and this episode will continue on from Episode 3. Episode 5 will come at a later date.**

Episode 4: The Strength to Protect

By now the siblings had reached Saru's place of work which was a grocery store where she packed bags to earn money for the two of them.

"Now," Saru turned to Daisuke. "Remember you need to come back at 10:00 to pick me up."

"All right, 10:00." Daisuke was making his way home.

Darkness was soon falling upon Sazuraku Town. Most people were asleep in their beds by now but not the Hikari Nokazoma. She had was continuing the perpetual ritual she had been doing since her awakening; which was going out every night to destroy the akuma. She was running through the streets chasing down an akuma, Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi in hand.

"Go!" the female warrior threw Amaterasu as hard as she could piercing straight through it.

The akuma crashed to the ground twitching as it's executor came closer.

"Demon scum," she said with hate in her voice as Amaterasu flew back.

Then she beheaded the monster with both weapons blood spattering across the pavement over her. She heard roaring in the distance. She realized what she had done. Demons are already attracted to a soul but…if the blood of a demon comes in contact with a reikon kensei wielder their scent is massively amplified. Any akuma within probably a three mile radius would come after her. Despite the serious odds against her she smiled. Her revenge upon the unholy beasts would be sweet. She prepared herself for the assault. She then began to wonder what would it be like to have Daisuke by her side. An inexperienced fighter like him would grow with every battle. He would go back to Saru scratched and bruised. She would also get out of this situation not too beat up like other times.

_Meanwhile…_

Daisuke was making his way back to the grocery store where Saru worked. He knew Hikari was out fighting the akuma alone. He would probably hear the howls of pain they would let out when she found them.

"_Your soul…it burns with a strong intensity, more fierce then I've ever seen," her words rang through him._

"Am I supposed to think of fire and my reikon kensei will just come out or what?" he said to himself. Then he realized what he could do.

Daisuke was right. He could hear the roars of akuma in the distance now.

Hikari leaped into the air to avoid another akuma's claw then she countered by tossing Tsukiyomi at her attacker. The akuma was beheaded and fell over dead. She landed gracefully. She was bleeding from all over her body. Even she couldn't tell her blood from an akuma's. They had her surrounded. She never thought she'd hear herself say these words.

"I wish Daisuke was here."

At least he could give her good distraction. Another foolish akuma thought they could sneak up on Hikari. She quickly turned round and threw both her weapons dismembering it.

"Don't ever touch me!" she quickly grabbed her glaives and went back to fighting.

Daisuke had finally made it to the grocery store and Saru was standing outside waiting for him.

"Daisuke, you actually made it on time to somewhere for once in your life," Saru congratulated her younger brother.

"I'm touched that you feel that way," he replied playing along. "Now come on."

Daisuke wanted to quickly get her home so he could try to help Hikari. He had a feeling he knew how to awaken his soul. After completing that task he ran at full speed toward the town park which where the roars were coming from. The warrior stood up from taking a hit from an akuma. She suddenly wasn't so sure of her ability to defeat all of the akuma that surrounded her now. This was it, her last fight, she began to conclude. After so long her fight would finally end now. She was going to make every last bit of her strength count.

"Bring it!" she panted out.

Then the akuma happily obliged by rushing toward her. She raised Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi in offense. Seemingly from out of nowhere a rock hit an akuma in the head and every one of them stopped. They turned round to find out where the rock came from. None other than Daisuke stood before them armed with two rocks.

"Lookin' for me?" he shuffled the projectiles in his hands.

Daisuke had come like Hikari hoped for. Now she could use her Shoukin. She hadn't come up against an obstacle that needed it's use for a long while. They akuma would soon forget about him and charge to her. Yet they didn't. They began to surround Daisuke.

"Hikari, I finally understand my soul. It's my will that keeps me going. Determination, my passion, my dreams. It's my own drive that fuels me to fight," he declared.

Just what was he doing? And how did he attract the demons to him even when her scent was amplified. There was something powerful about that boy's soul and he was going to prove it. The akuma converged on him and dogpiled him. Suddenly the pile began to turn red just like fire. The pile exploded and a looming pillar of fire shot out from Daisuke's position. He stood there unharmed by the akuma and fire. On the hairline of his head an ember of flame burned and in his hands a large red blade sword that he wielded with no problem. The akuma that remained had charged after him.

"BURN HIRYUU!" he slashed forward and a wave of fire consumed them all and none remained.

Hikari stood there amazed. Merely only a day after figuring out he had great power within him he had released it. Then the loss of blood had gotten to her. She began to fall but Daisuke was already upon her holding her in his arms. She didn't even know he could move that fast.

"Daisuke?"

"Hikari?" his voice was low.

Then the ember died out.

"What's up?" he said casually with a grin.

Hikari nearly fell out by that. He just took on an army of monsters and all he could say was "What's up?"

"See? I told you, you needed help."

"Could you help me get back home?" Hikari asked feeling her temperature rising by the way he held her.

"Sure."

He put her down and he held her by her shoulders so she could walk.

"So you've finally awakened your soul," Hikari limped along.

"Yeah." Daisuke shook his arm that held Hiryuu.

"What are you going to do with the strength that you've found?"

"I want to protect everyone. I can't sit idly by with the knowledge that things are out to get me and I can't do anything about it. The strength to protect everyone I care about. That is why I have to fight. No, not _have to_, I _must_ fight," Daisuke then raised Hiryuu into the air and the moonlight glanced on it.

Hikari smiled to herself. This kid puts himself in the line of danger just to protect everybody else. Daisuke had heart. More heart than she had ever seen in anybody.

"That's good Daisuke, I…hope you use… it well," she breathed out before passing out.

Daisuke barely caught her as she fell off his grip.

Now he was stuck in the middle of the street with a near dead bloodied girl in one arm and a hulking large sword in the other. Not a pretty scene for anyone just passing by. Maybe Hikari wouldn't mind waking up in his house just for tonight. Why? He asked himself. Maybe it was that she had passed out without giving him her address. Damn, tomorrow morning would be a trip. So, the teen hoisted the huntress on his back Hiryuu still in hand (He was unsure how to sheathe such a massive sword.) and carried both their weights on his person back to his room. He took a wet towel and tried to clean Hikari's wounds to the best of his knowledge and without removing her clothes and gently laid her on his bed. She slept soundly as she curled into his sheets. If he didn't remember that she could kill him with a flick of her wrists he would've thought how _cute_ she looked as she took over his bed. Her peaceful face would stay burned in his mind

'She must've not had a good night's rest for a long time,' Daisuke thought.

A bold feeling rose in his chest.

"Sleep well Hikari. Its my turn to fight for you," Daisuke was about to walk away when…well he couldn't explain but his soul still registered that Hiryuu was still in physical form.

He glanced at the clock that read 9:40pm. He had about 20 minutes before Saru would get off work. Then he looked towards Hiryuu. How in the hell was he supposed to put it away? Place it on his chest? Trying the idea on for size, he placed the sword on his stomach with the blade pointing downward. He stood there for a good five minutes hoping something would happen. Daisuke tapped his foot. Nothing. Damn. He had to figure out how to get rid of Hiryuu before Saru got off work. Then he remembered. Since when did he ever give a damn about being on time with anything she asked him for? He stood there once again willing his soul to take back Hiryuu and soon enough it did. At about 9:55pm. Although not caring about being on time he didn't want to face the wrath of her mallet. So he took a full sprint out the door and just barely made it to the store as she walked out the door. Finally spent of his energy the siblings retired to their home for a night's rest.

Heavy snoring disturbed the huntresses' rejuvenating sleep. That was the first clue in discovering that this was not her home. Looking to her left she found the source of her disturbance.

"Daisuke," the boy's heavy snoring continued on and he turned over on the floor.

He obviously brought her to his home to at least attempt to clean her wounds but at least she was clean of the blood.

"Oh Daisuke!" she heard Saru's sing-song voice boom through the house.

Her face blanched and for the first time in her life she was scared. Daisuke's sister would see her in his bed. She made a move to run out of the bed but Saru beat her to the door.

"Oh," the elder sister looked truly bewildered yet calm. "Hikari. You're here. In Daisuke's bed."

Heat rose to her cheeks and she stammered trying to get words out. Daisuke woke up groggily to the oncoming conflict.

"Daisuke. You never told me you were so…_intimate_ with Hikari," Saru said forcing a smile.

He woke up instantly at the suggestion.

"Whoa! What? Intimate?" Daisuke jumped out of his skin.

"Yes Daisuke," Saru's voice took a dark turn.

Her fingers wrapped tightly around her mallet.

"Saru! Wait, you don't have to do this!" Daisuke waved his hands in defense.

"Oh but I have to. You won't learn your lesson."

"Hikari do something!" Daisuke pleaded.

The girl was still in shock and caught up in her surprise to move let alone talk. Saru brought the oversized mallet over her head.

"You were supposed to wait until marriage!" she swung downwards.

Daisuke let out a scream that was unusual for a male as the mallet made contact with his cranium. His body awkwardly flattened into the floor and his arms spastically jerked around. Hikari saw the deadly hit and flinched. She realized she never wanted to be on the opposite side of that mallet. As his body rested into the floor, Saru reared back holding the weapon on her shoulder. She suddenly realized Hikari was still in the room.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. Are you okay?" she touched a shoulder bringing her back to life.

"Ah…uh…uhm yes?" Hikari mumbled out.

"Come on, let's go to my room and we'll get you dressed and cleaned up," she took her hand and led her out of the room. "And we need to talk about…this."

"Stupid sister," Daisuke clutched the foot of his bed weakly. "Didn't even let me explain what happened."

The younger brother stood on his knees and tried to recover his sense of motor function after taking such a brutal hit to his head. After wobbling around on his feet for a bit he successfully walked to the bathroom to shower.

After dressing in the school uniform Daisuke entered the kitchen where Hikari was waiting for him eating a dumpling Saru had cooked for her. Saru had given Hikari one of her uniforms from her younger years.

"You're still alive?" she asked wondrously.

"Yeah. I've taken worse hits from her," he shrugged like getting nearly killed by your sister was normal.

"Worse? How worse?"

"One time I ran off one of these guys that liked her. She told me I was out for a week."

Hikari nearly spit out the dumpling. And she thought getting ripped apart by akuma was a worse fate.

"How did things go with Saru?" Daisuke took a dumpling for himself.

"I told her we had a late night study session and I fell asleep on your bed. She apologized too."

Daisuke let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you Hikari, you saved my ass. I really didn't want her to lecture me on 'making an honest woman' out of you," he made air quotes for emphasis.

Hikari chuckled to herself. The way he and his sister went back and forth sometimes reminded her of her own family although they never went to extremes such as Saru. She longed to have them back.

"Well, come on let's get to school before your sister worries and then my whole story goes to hell," Hikari left the kitchen and exited the house.

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming," he slung his backpack over his shoulder and followed her out the door.

"I'll meet you at the school Daisuke, I'll go get my things from my house," Hikari said her back to him.

"Just be careful, don't open up those wounds."

Hikari leapt up to a rooftop and made her exit. Daisuke got to school where the hours of the mundane lulled him to sleep.

"Mr. Tsukazawa," his algebra teacher grinded out his name.

"Yes sensei?" Daisuke said raising his head off his desk.

"Are algorithms boring you this much?"

Hikari and Kasai looked to their mutual friend for his response hoping he would answer like a normal student and say no. But then again Daisuke wasn't any normal student.

"As a matter of fact yes, yes they are," Daisuke said.

"Then maybe you'll be more interested when you have time to think about them outside of my class," he motioned for the student to leave his class.

Daisuke spent the remainder of his final class sitting in the hallway.

"Daisuke," Hikari called out to him.

He angled his head to look at the demon huntress.

"Meet me in the forest clearing tonight. We have urgent matters to discuss about your Reikon Kensei."

"All right. I'll be there Hikari," Daisuke nodded as she walked away to her next class.

"So Daisuke, tell me how was she?" Kasai came from behind and elbowed his friend's ribs with a comical grin.

Daisuke's face flushed.

"Nothing happened man I swear," he said nervously.

"Oh really? Then why's your face all red," the redhead leaned forward.

"We-we-we-," Daisuke's words were a broken record.

"Relax man, I know what happened. Saru told me," the boy laughed clutching his chest. "You should've seen your face Daisuke."

"Hahaha that was so funny I forgot to laugh," he spat with sarcasm dripping from the words.

Kasai was practically rolling with fits of laughter and Daisuke sought to leave his friend alone as payback.

"But seriously, your face was priceless. How's-," he looked up. "Daisuke where'd you go?" He looked up and down the school hallway for his friend.

Sunset had come and Daisuke was making his way to the spot where he would meet Hikari. He was a little nervous. She said it was about his newly awakened Reikon Kensei. He would have to wait and see what she would have to say about it. Without even realizing it he had already made into the forest clearing where Hikari leaned against a tree. He leaned next to her.

"Hikari, what did you want to talk to me about my Reikon Kensei?"

"I'm going to train you Daisuke. As my apprentice," Hikari began. "Do you accept?"

"Yes ma'am!" the boy saluted standing at full attention.

"Normally, I still would've told you to leave me alone or kill you since my pride won't let me allow you to aid me. Are you ready to train hard into long hours of the night and work until your muscles fall off your body?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"This is your last chance to back out! Now do you accept?" Hikari yelled at him once more.

"Yes ma'am! I couldn't leave if I wanted to. I'm too far deep in this to quit. I have to use my powers to protect my friends and Saru!" Daisuke replied.

"And don't call me ma'am! I'm 15 not 51!" Hikari shouted.

"Got it!"

"You've got some spine in you Daisuke, that's good for you. Most would've cowered in fear and ran with their tail between their legs."

"So, when do we start training?" he asked.

Hikari wordlessly summoned Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi and grinned.

"Now."


	6. Episode 5: Burning Resolve

**A/N: I present to you Episode 5. Sorry for the wait, I got lazy with typing this up. **

Episode 5: The Results of Training

Hikari stepped away from the tree Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi in hand with the moonlight glancing off her weapons. She looked every bit the akuma hunter she set out to be. The fierce look in her eyes as she took her stance unsettled her apprentice and he was almost reluctant to summon his weapon.

"While I'm young Daisuke…" she trailed off.

"Sorry," he said and his hand began to burn with flames and he stuck it into the air. "Reikon Kensei! Hiryuu!"

The flames left his hand and formed the manifestation of his soul, Hiryuu. Daisuke swung it downward in front of him and wielded the blade like a trained master. Well not yet anyway.

"All right Hikari, I'm ready," he said looking at her but she wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Your first mistake was taking your eyes off your opponent!" Hikari shouted above him.

Daisuke looked up to the sky and saw her aiming a kick towards his head. He barely raised his sword in time as her kick made contact with the flat of his blade. He shoved her away with a grunt and she staggered back into stance. Dear God she was _fast_.

"Nice block there Daisuke," Hikari grinned. "But now…I won't hold back anymore," her voice took a dark tone as she took her stance once again.

Daisuke gulped. Just what the hell had he gotten himself into?

…...

"Owww," Daisuke moaned lying on the ground.

"Not bad Daisuke for holding up your defense in critical moments but you're too slow. Every time you attack you leave yourself open. You need to make your attacks more fluid and swift instead of uncoordinated and slow," Hikari said dismissing her weapons.

Daisuke winced as he stood to his feet.

"I want to see you here every night from now on for training. You will not accompany me until you can wield Hiryuu properly."

"Every night?" Daisuke breathed out.

"Of course. I'll make a hunter out of you yet, a damn good one at that," Hikari put her hands on her hips proudly. "If you can't slay 80 akuma in under 10 minutes I'll-"

"Hikari?" Daisuke interrupted.

"Hm?"

"Could you help me get home? I think you might've broken my leg when you kicked me there?" Daisuke groaned out.

Hikari chuckled to herself. She really didn't know how brutally she beat her apprentice.

"I've gotta admit Daisuke, you're pretty tough. Anyone lesser would have died," she said hooking his arm around her shoulder and lifting up.

It was Daisuke's turn to chuckle as they left their training grounds.

"Aren't I the one supposed to carry you home wounded?"

"But I'm no damsel in distress and I'm not the one who got his ass handed to him," she said bluntly.

"Oww," the words hurt him both physically and metaphorically.

Hikari carried him and home and he Daisuke quickly fell into a deep sleep.

"Daisuke," Hikari said slapping a particularly bruised spot and he groaned his way out of a nap at lunch time.

She _knew _she had done it on purpose and he sent a glare her way that barely fazed her.

"Training, tonight," she said.

Daisuke's face paled. She really was serious about working him to the bone. For the past week Hikari had been training him in the way of using his Reikon Kensei and they would train hard. He would often leave with more bruises and aches than he could count. He was having little improvement but was still "useless" as Hikari said despite his saving her twice in the past. He really didn't want to train today, he wasn't in the mood to have his ass handed to him tonight.

"Can't I have today off Hikari? You'll end up killing me at this rate," he whined and stretched his bruised muscles.

"No. You'll only end up asking for more and the more you train the better you can use Hiryuu," Hikari said.

"Come on, I think I deserve at least one day off," Daisuke tried to manage his best puppy dog eyes.

Hikari was ultimately shocked. She was prepared to stare down God himself but no amount of training could amount to Daisuke's suddenly beady eyes. She closed her eyes. Daisuke's confidence swelled. He had her on the ropes now. Maybe if he added a whimper she'd go over the edge. Hikari almost fell for it. Almost.

"We'll train some more tonight."

Daisuke's confidence deflated and he sighed out an "Okay."

"Daisuke? Want to hang out today? I've got some free time," Kasai said.

"Where?"

"The old arcade where we usually go," he grinned.

Daisuke smiled. He hadn't hung out with Kasai in a long time since most of his days now consisted of school, home, and then late night training with Hikari.

"All right, we'll go there together after class," Daisuke said ignoring the fact that Hikari was there.

She raised a questioning eyebrow towards Kasai.

"Oh sorry, did you two already have something planned?"

"Yes we did," she emphasized 'did'. "You are free to do as you please," she walked away from the two with a huff.

"Did you really have something planned with Hikari?" Kasai asked.

"Yeah, kendo training," his friend lied.

He couldn't exactly tell his friend that he had spending his nights training to fight against akuma.

"She's really serious about it too. I've gotten hit in places I didn't know I even had and she's brutal," Daisuke said caressing one of his bruises unconsciously.

"Kendo eh? She looks like the type to do it too," Kasai said standing up.

"Arcade after class," Daisuke said to his red haired friend.

The time couldn't come any faster for the apprentice as class ended for the day and he rushed outside to meet Kasai at the gates. The friends made their way to the arcade and spent the time playing games.

Elsewhere Hikari stalked the rooftops over the city watching out for both Daisuke and his friend and using her sixth sense to spot out any akuma in hiding. But it was proving hard to do when she was still fuming about Daisuke's manner toward his training. At first, he was excited and willing, now he had gotten lazy. She blew a huff of air into a stubborn lock of hair.

'_And the guy practically begged on his knees to help me fight the akuma,' _she thought to herself.

Daisuke had no patience to actually train. He had also begged to accompany her on her nightly duties but she refused until he could manage to wield his Reikon Kensei to at least an acceptable level. He was improving in his abilities but She didn't need another death weighing her down now.

She regained her focus and honed in on Daisuke's soul and tuned her senses. Daisuke's soul hadn't spiked in the action of summoning his weapon and he didn't seem to be in any danger. Recently something had been going on in whatever demon underworld the akuma had served under. The akuma she'd been killing as of late were more organized and had been making their kills on dormant Reikon Kensei wielders more cleaner rather than ripping them to shreds. She had found that the victims would often have a hole in their chest like something was ripped out but she could tell no organs had gone missing. She gritted her teeth and a fist balled up. She intended to find out. The sun was beginning to set on the town and night would come and so would the akuma.

Daisuke and Kasai walked out the arcade as it began to close down.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow Daisuke!" Kasai said waving goodbye to him already at the other end of the street.

Once Kasai was out of sight, Daisuke decided to put some his training to use. Hikari taught him how to use his own soul to find hers as a type of sonar system. When they tried it during training they used it in a sort of hide and seek game. Unfortunately he was unable to find her since she hid herself so well. He decided to give it another go. Daisuke released a breath and closed his eyes. His soul sent out a pulse and he felt it leave his body. Hikari's soul reacted and sent out a pulse of its own letting him know where her location was. Suddenly a chill ran up his spine.

"I've got a real bad feeling," he took off running towards Hikari.

Hikari found herself in the downtown area of Sazuraku Town. She was getting weird vibes from all over the place. Something had been following her and her ability to sense akuma around her were going crazy. There must have been a lot. Daisuke would be here soon. Her lips curved upwards. She was proud. Maybe the training was starting sink in a little. The smile left as quickly as it came. No time to admire her young ward. A battle was brewing. Wordlessly summoning Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi, she walked a little more carefully waiting for her enemy to strike.

Daisuke pushed his body to ran faster and it began to comply with his demand. Training with Hikari was paying off. Uh oh. He felt her soul spike as she summoned her weapons. She could be in trouble.

Hikari stepped the middle of a street and akuma rose from the ground out of their demonic seals and a larger one in particular. She observed the enemies before her. There seemed to be at least a good fifteen grunts and the larger one seemed to be leader and a powerful one at that. There was something odd about that one. It wore a leather chestplate and wielded an axe much larger than her.

"A Reikon Kensei wielder, a strong looking one at that," it spoke.

Her eyes widened in surprise. Not many demons could speak. Astaroth was the only one she knew could speak. Unless…it was one of the nine Lords. Tadashi had spoke of them once to her.

"_The nine akuma Lords were very powerful and they once existed but were defeated in battle in the War of Transgression, when the akuma first began to attack humanity. There are some Lords who are possibly still alive…"_

Hikari shook her head of the memory to focus on the battle at hand.

"And who might you be?" she asked pointing at the armored demon.

"I am Belial, one of the nine akuma Lords. My comrades perished in the war but I alone have lived since that day and sworn revenge on man," he bellowed and slammed his axe into the ground attempting to intimidate her.

"I am Hikari Nokazoma, a akuma hunter, my family was killed by your kind. I have lived since that day for one purpose only: to slay each and every one of you!" she yelled slinging Amaterasu at an unsuspecting akuma instantly decapitating it.

"Kill her!" Belial roared and the remaining akuma charged toward her.

Daisuke was close now, he would reach her shortly. He could feel the tension in her soul rising as she fought. He turned a corner and there she was in the midst of battle. She looked like she was dancing in the air as she was fighting. An akuma thrust its arm forward and she glided over it kicking the demon in the head and gored it with both Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi. It howled in pain on the ground and blew away like sand. Another attacked her from behind and she spun around it crouching low and removing its legs and it died just like the one before it. The last akuma swiped at her from overhead and she backstepped tossing her glaives and sliced its torso and head. She truly was amazing at what she did. Belial took the initiative to attack and he dashed toward her while she was in mid step. Belial surprised her once again. He caught her with her guard down.

"Hikari!" Daisuke shouted calling Hiryuu to his hands and blocking Belial's strike.

"Daisuke!"

He really was improving, his speed especially. At his level he shouldn't be able to be on par with a akuma Lord. Their weapons sparked and clashed against each other before Belial shoved the boy away and slammed a menacing fist into him sending Daisuke tumbling down the street.

"Another Reikon Kensei wielder? Master will most definitely will be pleased," a grin spread across his features and flashed his canines.

Hikari recovered her weapons and paused at the Lord's words. She had to keep him alive enough to answer her questions.

"No, Hikari," Daisuke stood to his feet Hiryuu in hand and wiping blood from his lip. "Let me handle him."

"Fool, you aren't ready to face a demon yet. Let alone a akuma Lord," she argued.

"How do you know if I haven't even tried yet?"

She opened her mouth to speak but Daisuke didn't wait for her to answer as he leapt toward Belial a burst of flames beneath him shooting him forward. The two clashed once again.

"Let me show you the results of my training Hikari," he said.

"But you didn't show up for training!" she shouted.

Daisuke blocked another strike from Belial and their collision resounded with a clang. Hikari watched and decided to let her apprentice fight his first battle. She decided that if he really needed help she'd intervene. She admired the way he fought, he was determined in his attacks. Daisuke leapt back and flames began to engulf Hiryuu.

"Enryuu!" he swung the blade forward and the fire shot out as a wave.

Belial roared in pain when the flames scorched his skin and it sent him crashing into a nearby building.

"Lucky shot you bastard," he said staggering to his feet.

"Luck and skill are two completely different things," Daisuke ran towards Belial to finish him off.

Right when Daisuke was about to swing Belial swiftly swatted him away with the flat of his axe like a fly. Now it was his turn to be knocked into a wall and he fell to the ground with a yelp. He stood up and held Hiryuu up determined to defeat Belial. The akuma Lord chuckled and then erupted into pure laughter.

"I don't see what's so funny," Daisuke said.

"You aren't scared are you?" he asked mockingly.

"Not one bit," his voice unusually cracked.

Hikari could see what the Lord was getting at.

"Tell me, why are your legs shaking so much?"

Daisuke looked at his legs and slapped both quivering appendages. Belial had him right where he wanted him. He truly was scared of dying here and now. But he had his sister and Kasai to protect. He couldn't allow himself the luxury of fear. He took a step forward.

"I won't lose to you. I won't lose!" Daisuke shouted at his opponent.

"Then prove your words to me!"

Daisuke jumped towards Belial and another burst of flames boosted him forward again.

"Enryuu!"

The flame wave washed over Belial again but he saw it coming this time and dodged it. The fire obscured his vision and he couldn't find Daisuke.

"Where are you brat?" the akuma Lord growled.

A battle cry from behind him sounded and there Daisuke was rushing for him with a massive slash. Belial had no time to react and suffered a fatal gash. He tried to swing with his axe but Daisuke easily parried it and thrust forward with Hiryuu. With another shout fire erupted from the blade and began to fully consume him. Belial roared in pain as he fell backwards blood leaking from his wounds. Daisuke stepped backwards panting heavily.

"Master, I have failed you," he said weakly.

Hikari stood over Belial's bleeding carcass.

"Who is your master?" she said sternly.

Belial let out a evil chuckle before coughing up blood.

"It doesn't matter your world will end in Rapture and akuma will overrun this world."

Hikari and Daisuke shared a foreboding look. The words didn't need to be said between them. The flames overtook Belial's body and he was burned to nothing more than ash. Daisuke fell back on the ground. His body hurt all over. Hikari looked at the boy she was training and in his first fight with akuma he took down a Lord. He had blood trailing down his head, bruises and dirt spots all over. In short, he'd taken quite a beating from Belial. But still…she swatted him on the back of his head.

"Ow! Hikari what was that for?" he held his already throbbing head.

"For skipping out on training you idiot!" she snapped. "But you handled yourself surprisingly well in this fight.," she began to pet the spot she smacked him in. "You did good Daisuke."

He blushed on the spot.

"Well, I-I owe it all to your training Hikari," he said.

Meanwhile…

The sounds of a shrill scream and flesh tearing filled the air. In a lone alleyway, a female figure slumped against the wall blood seeping out of her and a hooded stranger was holding a glowing light in his hands. Then their hands closed and the light vanished.

**A/N: If anyone was wondering when OC's would make an appearance they won't appear in the first part of the series. I apologize for that. The way the story ended up progressing while I was gone just didn't have them appear at all and I couldn't figure out a way to introduce the characters without making it look awkward. Once again, I apologize for this and thank you for reading.**


	7. Episode 6: Cold Snap

Episode 6: Cold Snap

"Sense the killing intent behind my attacks and then dodge them," Hikari pointed a wooden sword at him.

"Got it," Daisuke readied his own wooden sword.

She yelled and lashed out at him. Daisuke blocked the oncoming strikes occasionally retaliating with his own. Hikari expertly blocked and twisted around him, forcing him to fight her off in every direction. Daisuke sidestepped another attack and countered with his own. They locked together in a power struggle that resulted in a stalemate. They pushed each other away neither of them making a move. Hikari reared back her arm for a more powerful hit.

'_This is it!' Daisuke thought._

She jumped at him and Daisuke waited for the right moment to react. Just when she was about to make contact, Daisuke slashed upwards hitting her hand. Her mouth gaped open in astonishment. Daisuke had knocked her weapon out of her hands. A swift kick to the chest sent him tumbling on the ground and Hikari reclaimed her sword. She was standing over him pressing the sword to his pulse before he could even stand up.

"I yield," he said.

"You shouldn't have lost your focus back there. An enemy can still fight without using a weapon," Hikari said with a scolding tone.

Daisuke groaned as he sat up.

"Sorry," he rubbed his chest.

"Still, you did good knocking my sword out of my hands. That should be good enough for tonight," she turned away to leave.

"Wait. Not yet," Daisuke got to his feet.

"Hmm?"

"Again. I saw your killing blow that time," he stood at the ready. "I'm starting to get it now."

Hikari nodded at him pointing her sword at him once again.

"I'll include more killing blows this time."

She dashed toward him with an overhead slash.

The hooded stranger stood on a water tower watching over Sazuraku Town.

"Belial has failed. Just like the other eight akuma Lords miserably failed in the war," he ground out.

"He was merely bait to me. A pawn in a much larger game. Those two Reikon Kensei are quite powerful. Continue your duties collecting dormant souls. Destroy those two if you get the chance," a disembodied voice said to him.

"Yes master."

He spoke a strange incantation and a white pulse emitted from him. As he looked down on the town below many dormant souls responded to his own. A grin on his face reached from ear to ear.

"May I please have everyone's attention?" the teacher said amongst the louder students.

The loud classroom settled down to hear what their teacher had to inform them about.

"This week is the Sazuraku Town Festival," he said.

The class rung out once again with cheers and whoops.

"I said quiet down!"

They fell silent once more.

"Now for the Sazuraku Town Festival classes will be canceled in order to prepare for them. The class presidents for each year will explain your tasks. With that said, good luck, have fun, and I'll see you all next week," the teacher said leaving the classroom.

The class president took the place of the teacher and began to inform the class of what they would be doing for the Sazuraku Town Festival. Kasai had grabbed a hold of Daisuke after class had ended.

"Yo Daisuke, are you planning on going this year?" the redhead asked.

"Yeah, Saru wants me to go shopping with her for new yukatas later today," Daisuke answered.

"I've got an idea! Why don't we all go shopping together? You can even bring Hikari too."

"What?" Daisuke coughed.

"Yeah. Why not Daisuke?" Saru added from behind him.

"Saru? When did you get here?" Kasai said.

"My class finished up with what we need to know for the festival," she sat down on Daisuke's desk. "We really should invite her along. I need a girl's opinion anyway."

Saru had zipped her way over to Hikari sitting alone staring out the window. She felt a strange presence in the town. It felt like an akuma yet it wasn't.

"Hikari?" she said.

She broke from her thoughts to face Daisuke's older sibling. She and Saru had become friends since the incident in their home. Hikari didn't have what she would consider friends after devoting her life to hunting down akuma. Her days were spent training hard and fighting until her last breath.

"Wanna go shopping for yukatas for the Sazuraku Town Festival?" Saru said a smile working its way on her face. "Kasai and Daisuke are going too."

She planned to say no so that she and Daisuke could focus on training although Saru had different plans.

"All right! Great! Make sure to stop by our house after school."

Then Saru was out the door before Hikari could object. Daisuke about faced in his desk.

"Its best to just let her have her way rather than fight her on this," he said.

"Eh?" her eye twitched.

"And besides if the two of you actually fought…I don't know who would win," Daisuke added.

Both of them shuddered involuntarily. Hikari recalled the memory of witnessing the might of Saru's ungodly sized mallet. She never ever wanted to be on the business end of that. A second shudder took her over.

"Are you two all right? Coming down with a fever?" Kasai asked.

"Nope," Daisuke said.

"Just a bad feeling," Hikari said looking to the window.

The bell had rung ending classes for the week in preparation for the festival at the end of the week. Saru dragged Daisuke home post haste to get in as much shopping time as possible. Kasai agreed to meet them later at their home. As for Hikari, well what was she going to do? Hikari stopped at the school entrance gate. She knew she had to investigate whatever this presence was that had arrived in town as a duty to her mission. Yet also she had to go yukata shopping with Saru as a duty to be a friend. Hikari looked to her left, a street that would lead to Daisuke and Saru's home. The right street would take her to whatever this bad feeling was. A chuckle rumbled through her. This reminded her of the Literature class earlier this morning. What was it the teacher said? Something about coming to a crossroads and making a choice and the effects of it. Pretty ironic in her situation now. This was going to be a hard choice. Hikari took a deep breath, exhaled, and closed her eyes. Then she took off running.

"Hey Daisuke, where's Hikari?" Saru asked.

"I don't know. I guess she's not coming," he answered.

In truth, he really wanted her to come. She needed a break from fighting akuma.

"That's too bad," Kasai shook his head. "You could've seen Hikari in a yukata, you could've seen her in-"

Heat flooded Daisuke's cheeks as a mallet came crashing down on Kasai's head flattening him to the floor with a shout.

"No you wanted to see it!" Saru loomed over Kasai who clutched onto his bruised head.

"Yes Kasai. Tell me. What did you want to see?" a fourth voice entered the room.

"Hikari! You came!" Saru said happily.

Daisuke was bewildered. Did the door even open? Kasai seemed to recover quickly and jumped to his feet. Hikari smiled warmly to Saru before glaring daggers into Kasai.

"Ah! What I wanted to see was that new movie that came out recently. What was it called again? Senshi Suimin? We could go see that after we finish shopping," he nervously scratched his hair.

"Hmmm," Saru narrowed her eyes at the boy. "Fine. Hikari? Daisuke?"

They answered with a nod as Kasai breathed out in relief. He had gotten let off with a stroke of luck this time. Saru slipped a handbag over her shoulder and headed to the door.

"All right let's go!"

Shopping bags full of items cluttered to the ground with Daisuke and Kasai collapsing to the ground panting. Their trip to buy yukatas for the festival had gone completely awry for the two boys. They had walked past a clothing store and Saru had promised not to buy anything, That had gone down the toilet when she saw a dress that she _had_ to have. It went the same way for the new shoes. And the perfume, and the numerous other lady oriented products. Daisuke was no less than furious. The department store they were heading towards was still a good 3 blocks away and Kasai and he would have to carry the bags all they way there.

"Ah that was such a beautiful dress and now its mine," she rifled through the shopping bags and looking at it with a dreamy smile,

Then she looked at the boys on the ground.

"Get up you two, you're embarrassing me."

"And you're killing us," Daisuke retorted.

Seriously, Hikari's training was less brutal than carrying those bags.

The two went on back and forth before Saru silenced him with a whack from her mallet.

Hikari sweat dropped.

"Don't sweat it, this happens a lot in public," Kasai rose to his feet brushing himself down.

"Yeah," she said unsure of how to respond.

After the mini dispute was resolved they continued their trek to the department store. Hikari was still sensing that mystery presence and that feeling still had not subsided.

"Daisuke," she said in a hushed voice.

He slowed his stride to match hers.

"What's up?" he said.

"Do you feel that strange presence around here?"

"What?"

"Focus."

He focused his sixth sense and immediately felt it.

"Who the hell is it?" he asked. "An akuma?"

"I don't think so. I think its following us," she answered.

Daisuke's eyes traveled to Kasai and Saru walking ahead of them. They were in danger here.

"Let's go and take-,"

"No," she cut him off.

"But-

"We can't leave without your sister and Kasai noticing," she cut in again.

Daisuke fell silent.

"Let's entertain it for a while."

Daisuke nodded to his superior.

"Think of this as a training lesson. One way to lure out a enemy in hiding is to appear defenseless. Just when they reveal themselves, you crush them," she clenched a fist in demonstration.

They had come up to the entrance of the department store.

"No wasting time let's get you in a yukata!" Saru pulled a surprised Hikari by the arm into the store.

"Hehe women," Kasai looked over his shoulder to Daisuke.

They walked through the entrance. The two found the fitting room where the two girls would be trying on multiple yukatas. Daisuke saw Saru carrying a large bundle of yukatas back to the rooms.

"Saru, I don't think you need to try on all of them. You only need one," he grimaced.

"You can never have too much, besides a girl needs some variety!" she argued.

Daisuke left it at that and went to find his own yukata to buy. He viewed one in particular that caught his eye before Saru dragged him away.

"Come here," she tugged a little more forcefully.

"Hey don't rip my arm out of its socket!" the younger brother yelped.

She let him go once they were in front of a fitting room.

"Oh she got you too?" Kasai rubbed his shoulder.

He got the same treatment as well.

"Okay Hikari you can come out now," Saru called out.

"No I don't want to," her voice faltered.

"Oh you WILL come out. Everyone's here to see you," she ventured into the room.

There were sounds of cluttering and bumping, a few curses and out stumbled Hikari.

She bounced on the balls of her feet.

"So how do I look?" she nibbled on her fingers with heated cheeks.

Hikari's yukata was a black one with small white stars spotting it all over. Over her heart was a shining full moon. It made her silver hair seem a little brighter and that in turn brought out her chocolate brown eyes. She was nothing short of beautiful. Hikari was nervous since Daisuke hadn't said a word yet. Was there something wrong with her?

"You can pick your jaw off the floor now," Kasai jabbed his friend with an elbow.

Daisuke seemed to wake from a trance.

"You look amazing Hikari," he smiled.

Her face seemed to heat up even more before she vanished into the fitting room once more.

"My work here is done," Saru brushed her hands off with a proud look etched on her face. "Now its my turn."

Saru walked into the fitting room as Hikari came out dressed in her school uniform face still red. Saru came out a few minutes later.

"How do I look?" she twirled around.

Kasai froze on the spot. Saru wore a bright yellow yukata with blue floral patterns throughout and a larger blue flower covered the back. The color went with her blonde hair and blended well with her emerald eyes. She was stunning. Daisuke elbowed him this time.

"You left your jaw on the floor."

Kasai coughed.

"You look absolutely beautiful."

Saru's face became a tomato.

"All right its settled we'll buy these Hikari," she went back into the fitting room to change.

Daisuke and Kasai went back to find their own yukatas and after many minutes of Saru complaining about their choice they finally bought them. Daisuke settled on a white yukata with flames rising at the bottom of it. Hikari laughed at him and said it was nothing. Kasai chose a blue yukata with white snowflakes decorating it. The group had purchased their festival yukatas, grabbed the bags from Saru's earlier splurge and made their way to leave. Daisuke and Hikari stopped in their tracks.

"That presence, its here!" Hikari shouted.

Suddenly the front of the store exploded. Kasai held onto Saru protectively as the force sent them sprawling backwards.

"Is everyone all right?" Daisuke groaned as he got to his feet.

"No I'm perfectly fine. An explosion in my face doesn't hurt too much," Kasai replied sarcastically.

"Daisuke," Hikari said.

He looked to her. Nothing else needed to be said.

"Owww, what was that?" Saru said.

Screams from other people caught in the blast filled the air. A fire was spreading. Others began to run frantically to get outside. Saru and Kasai needed to get out now. A ring of flames was slowly closing the door on their escape route in front of them. Suddenly a hooded figure stepped before them. Hikari knew it was this person who was giving her such a bad feeling in her gut. Daisuke stepped in front of Saru to shield her if need be.

"Kasai, take Saru and go," Daisuke said.

"Wait, what about you? I'm not leaving you to die," Kasai called back to him.

"Remember what you promised my dad?"

Kasai wanted to speak to found no words. Saru couldn't either.

"Come on Saru, let's get out of here," he helped her to her feet and they started running.

The ring of fire closed up as they left. The hooded figure reached a hand towards them.

"Who said you could leave?" he said.

"Who said you could chase them?" Hikari shouted.

Amaterasu came flying at the outstretched hand and he retracted it before it could be lost. As it came back she caught it with relative ease.

"Hmmm. Those two got away. No need to worry. I'll get their Reikon Kensei when I'm done with you," he said folding his arms.

"You touch her and I'll destroy you," Daisuke pointed Hiryuu at him.

"I won't even use my weapon," he teased.

"Daisuke don't fall for his-" Hikari began to say

Daisuke ran forward slashing vertically but the man caught the blade with one hand. Daisuke was nothing short of astonished. He must've had some amazing strength to stop Hiryuu's weight. The hooded man ripped Hiryuu from his grasp and tossed it into the air. Then he thrust his palm forward hitting Daisuke in the center of his chest. The force knocked the wind out of him and sent him tumbling back to Hikari's side. Hiryuu impaled the ground next to him.

"What have I told you? Remember your training," Hikari got into a defensive stance.

"Yeah," he coughed up a little blood while picking up Hiryuu.

"Next," he beckoned over to Hikari.

Hikari tossed both her glaives at the man who caught them but they blocked his view. Before he knew it Hikari darted up to him with a menacing kick. The foot sent him sliding across the ground dropping Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi in the process.

"Enryuu!" Daisuke threw the wave of fire.

The man quickly recovered and leaped over it. He rushed over to Hikari who swiped at him but countered by grabbing the offending arm and tossing her over his shoulder. She dropped her weapons in the process and he took the chance to throw one of them at Daisuke. Tsukiyomi clipped his shoulder, fresh blood leaking out.

"Daisuke, we'll have to come at him together," Hikari staggered to her feet calling her glaives to her hands.

"Got it," he replied weakly.

He hoped they could win the fight before he succumbed to blood loss.

Meanwhile…

"Come on Saru, we gotta move it," Kasai said.

Saru was heavily gulping up much needed air from running for so long.

"I…can't run…anymore Kasai," Saru breathed out.

Kasai groaned and looked back to the department store. He was worried about Daisuke and Hikari. He didn't know what the hell was going on but he hoped they were all right. He hated the thought of leaving his friend alone but he had to honor his promise to Daisuke's father.

'_I will protect you Saru,' _Kasai thought.

"Saru, go on home. I'm going back for Daisuke," Kasai was about to head off.

"Wait, Kasai. Be careful.," Saru said.

"Aren't I always?" he said with a smile and left.

Daisuke was yet again knocked to the ground by a powerful hit from the hooded man. Hikari followed him soon after. They were hopelessly beaten.

"Weaklings. I won't waste anymore time with you. I'll take your Reikon Kensei," he grabbed Daisuke by the neck.

"No," he said feebly.

"Die," the man reared back his free hand.

"Hey asshole!"

A burned mannequin arm collided with the back of the man's head.

He turned his head to see Kasai armed with another mannequin arm primed to throw.

"Kasai!" Daisuke shouted now trying to free himself from the man's grip despite his wounds. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be with Saru!"

He needed to fight back to save Kasai before he got himself killed.

"Don't worry she's safe," Kasai said.

"Ah you've saved me the trouble hunting you down. Thank you for coming back so soon," the hooded man said.

"Put my friend down," Kasai ground out.

Daisuke was unceremoniously dropped to the floor greedily sucking in air.

"Daisuke, we…can't let…him take Kasai's…soul," Hikari painfully winced.

"I can't move," Daisuke tried his hardest but his wounds wouldn't let him.

"Kasai run!" Hikari yelled out.

"Relax, I've got-" he was cut off.

The hooded man now had his hands around Kasai's throat choking away his life. He thrashed around in the man's iron grip. Then he reared his free arm back. Kasai suddenly felt cold amidst the burning and demolished department store.

'_Is this what dying feels like?'_

His eyelids felt heavy and his arms did as well and his body couldn't handle the lack of oxygen. Daisuke was crushed. He had lost his best friend because he couldn't muster enough strength to save him. Then he felt the temperature in the room drastically drop. It was cold despite them being in a burning building. The hooded man also could feel it too. The arm holding Kasai's limp form was freezing over. Daisuke and Hikari were able to stand on their knees. A howling chilling wind blew through the store. Kasai's hand clamped down on his captor's arm.

"Let go," he said stoically.

As Kasai's grip tightened ice began to form over the arm and their hooded enemy dropped Kasai so it wouldn't be completely frozen. He jumped far away from all three teens. Only half of his arm had been frozen. Kasai stuck his hand out and the cold winds blew around him and gathered into his hand. The winds turned blue and began to form a spear. Hikari and Daisuke were stunned. Kasai had just summoned his own Reikon Kensei.

"Aisuryuu!" he spun it around in his hands like a master who'd been training for years.

Aisuryuu had a long blue pole with blue tassels at the end. The cobalt blue blade took the shape of a dragon's head and radiated with cold energy. The hooded man made a move to attack but stopped in his tracks.

"Yes. Yes master. I understand," he seemed to be talking to no one.

"Who the hell are you talking to?" Kasai called out.

"Well it seems that my master has called me for something far more important. Daisuke. Hikari. Kasai. Its been fun," he began to vanish in a swirl of black flames teasingly.

"Where are you going?" Kasai held Aisuryuu in a throwing stance. "Gungnir!" he let the weapon leave his hands and it hit the spot the man previously occupied.

"Kasai," Daisuke said.

"Daisuke? What was up with that guy?" Kasai said running to his friend's side. "Damn you guys got your asses kicked."

"Shut up and help me up," his friend replied.

Kasai helped Daisuke to his feet. Then Daisuke helped Hikari stand.

"Just what are these things?" Kasai asked holding his Reikon Kensei in his hands.

"We'll talk later. First we need to get out of here," Hikari said limping while holding onto Daisuke for support.

The three began to make their way out of the perilous building out the back entrance.

**A/N: And that concludes Episode 6. That was terribly long 14 pages of work there. I'm trying to set myself on a constant updating date. It seems that it sets itself on a Monday every other week. It takes me a week to write since I type up one page a day and I do also have work. The longest you'll have to wait is the Tuesday following the day that I am supposed update this story. Thank you for reading and I hope you continue to read and enjoy this story.**


	8. Episode 7: Of Frost and Flames

**A/N: Lord Almighty this episode was hard to type out since Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance came out last week. But I beat it. So who saw the secret message and cutscene? Then tomorrow Persona 4 Arena comes out! Any fans of both games out there? So I better get this out before I become enraptured with it. Enjoy Episode 7! **

Episode 7: Of Frost and Flames

Kasai helped Hikari and Daisuke into a ambulance and accompanied them on the ride there. Daisuke was especially surprised to see Saru there.

"I thought you took her home," Daisuke gritted his teeth.

"Yeah, I thought I did too," Kasai said scratching his head.

Daisuke wanted to hit his friend for failing to complete a simple task but the second he stretched out his arm he recoiled in pain.

"Don't overdo it okay?" Saru rubbed her brother's arm to soothe the pain. "Besides I needed to get to the hospital to checked out myself."

Daisuke grunted out his reply. The four students were occupying a hospital room with Daisuke and Hikari sitting across each other on gurneys, Saru standing next to him, and Kasai sitting opposite from them in a chair. Kasai and Saru didn't need much attention just a couple bandages to cover minor burns and bruises. On the other hand Daisuke and Hikari needed treatment everywhere. Cuts, bruises, and burns covered them. Although both of them knew the doctor's treatment would be helpful but pointless since their Reikon Kensei would heal most of the damage.

"Why did you guys stay behind anyway?" Saru asked curiously.

Kasai, Hikari, and Daisuke shared a knowing look.

"That hooded guy back there, I think he was behind that explosion," Daisuke began. "I told Hikari to run while I fought him but she stayed with me. Well obviously…"

"You got your asses handed to you on a platter," Saru finished.

Hikari and Daisuke cringed. Adding insult to injury.

"Why not tell the police?" Kasai asked a serious stare adorning his face.

"The police aren't going to believe three kids who saw a man wearing a black cloak and hood and we can't give a proper description," Hikari answered.

A sort of half truth Daisuke came up with. Saru had believed it hook, line and sinker. A pregnant silence enveloped them.

"Anybody thirsty? I'll go get us some drinks," Saru broke the silence.

"Yeah sure," Kasai replied back.

The room door shut itself as quickly as it opened. More silence came over the room. Kasai looked to Daisuke then swiveled to Hikari.

"So who wants to be the first to tell me what the hell was going on back there?" Kasai said voice low.

Hikari sighed.

"I'm sure you know of the killings around town lately right?"

"Yes," he said. "What of them?"

"The killers are not _human_."

"What do you mean?"

"Akuma, Kasai. Demons," Hikari stated. "They are after the weapons what you, Daisuke, I and many others wield. Reikon Kensei."

"Those are the weapons we had right?" Kasai said.

"Everyone has the ability to call upon their Reikon Kensei but they must first awaken to it like we have."

"What about that guy?" Kasai added.

"I don't know what he was but he's not human," Hikari said.

Kasai looked to Daisuke.

"How long has this been going on?"

"About nearly a month," his friend answered.

Kasai's mouth gaped open.

"A damned month," he nearly shouted. "Does Saru know about this?"

"No, she thinks it's just me and Hikari hanging out," he said knowing full well what Kasai wanted to do.

"You have to tell her Daisuke. Tell her the truth."

Daisuke's heart dropped.

"No Kasai," Daisuke calmly stated.

"What?! You're going to continue lying to her?" Kasai rose from his seat a screeching sounding underfoot.

"Not lying, protecting her."

Hikari watched the two friends argue about the safety of Saru in silence. This was a argument she had no place in. Kasai's gaze hardened at his friend. A quick movement had Daisuke pulled from his seat by the collar held by a seething Kasai. She hadn't seen him so serious before.

"Protecting her?! What if you don't survive one night?! You'll leave her worrying about you till the morning!" Kasai huffed out angrily.

"That's why you're here! You'll protect her if I can't!" Daisuke said shouting back.

"Why you-!"

Kasai reared back a fist and slugged Daisuke. The punch knocked him on the bed. His cheek was as red as the wounds under the bandages. Then he stared at a steaming Kasai shocked at the red head.

"If you're going to be doing this kind of reckless stuff then I'm helping you out. I'm not letting you walk out on me and Saru like that," Kasai regained control of his breathing.

"Kasai," Daisuke began.

"And I have to keep my promise too don't I?" he smiled.

"Thank you Kasai," his friend returned the smile.

"And who else is gonna watch out for your dumb ass?" he jested ruffling the boy's hair.

Daisuke chuckled.

Saru had come back just in time carrying four water bottles for them to consume. She handed one to Hikari, Daisuke, and Kasai. Her eyebrow arched in questioning.

"Daisuke what happened to your cheek?" she said.

"I had knock some sense into your brother here, not to scare you like that again," he pounded a fist into his hand.

Saru lightly slapped his arm.

"Don't injure him any worse than he already is."

The door opened once more and a doctor entered.

"All right the tests came back fine. You're all free to go," he said.

The four teens left the hospital to head home. Saru was the first to get through the door and squealed much to everyone's chagrin.

"What is it Saru?" Daisuke soothed his aching ear.

"They found our yukatas!" she reached into the bag and pulled one out. "And they're still intact!"

The other three were quite surprised anything was still intact after that attack. Maybe it was some odd twist of fate this happened. Everyone got their own yukata and went to their respective homes.

Amaterasu slashed through the arm of an attacking akuma and it writhed on the ground clutching its missing appendage. Daisuke immediately delivered the coup de grace with an impalement burning its body into black ashes. Hikari regained Amaterasu and leaped over another attack while Daisuke caught the off guard enemy with a decapitation following its comrade into death. Kasai opted to stay behind in order to properly train before standing with Daisuke and Hikari.

"Enryuu!" he turned and swung Hiryuu a wave of fire enveloping two more akuma.

As Hikari touched the ground she threw both her glaives at two incoming akuma splitting one in half and the other removing the second's head. Daisuke looked at his companion. She looked just as fierce as she does when they trained together almost furious even. Her eyebrows knitted together as she locked onto another akuma. He readied Hiryuu in a defensive stance as more akuma came towards them. Another endless night it seemed.

The morning wasn't at all good either. Daisuke didn't get enough sleep. Hikari didn't look too well either.

"Is this what you two do every night?" Kasai whispered to his friend.

Daisuke managed enough strength to nod to his friend before laying his head down to sleep.

"Daisuke," a voice rang him awake.

"Hikari? Is there something up?" he said fully awake now.

All the students were heading to the cafeteria. Lunch had started.

"No, nothing. Kasai, this also involves you as well," Kasai turned his head to her.

"Yeah?"

"We know of that man who attacked us in the store yesterday. Like he said he will back for us and Saru too," Hikari said.

Daisuke let out a growl.

"I'll kick his ass next time we see him," Daisuke said.

"No, you won't not with our power alone," Hikari said.

Saru had come into the classroom.

"Meet me on the roof after school."

They left the classroom to attend lunch with Saru.

"So Hikari have you found a date to the festival?" Saru questioned with a smirk.

She nearly choked on the milk she had been drinking earning a snicker from Daisuke and Kasai.

"A d-date?" she stammered out.

Not only did she have to wear that embarrassing yukata, she had to find a date too?

"No, no I haven't found a date, I've never actually thought about it," she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Really? I never would've expected that from one of the prettiest girls in the school," Saru slurped up some noodles.

Hikari sipped on her milk to fight the blush staining her cheeks. Other students thought she was pretty? She had to turn the tables on her blonde friend.

"What about you? Have you found a date Saru?" Hikari asked.

Another slurp of her noodles.

"I have my options," a grimace appeared on Kasai's face. "Why not take Daisuke?"

Daisuke and Hikari both coughed up their drinks blushes evident on their faces.

"What?!" they said in unison.

"Aww you two already make a cute couple saying the same thing as the other," Saru said gushing over the two of them.

"S-S-S-Saru, you can't say things like that" Daisuke fumbled out.

"Why not? You two are already hanging out so much, you should really go to the festival together," she replied.

A bead of sweat rolled down Daisuke's head. If she only knew their real reason for 'hanging out' every night.

School had finally ended for the day. Daisuke and Kasai were making their way toward the school roof to meet with Hikari. Once they opened the door a cool breeze blew across the rooftop sweeping their uniforms around them. Daisuke caught sight of Hikari's shining silver locks in the sunset. They waited for her to speak.

"In all my battles, never have I ever encountered an opponent like that man," she started.

"Yeah that guy was unbelievably tough," Daisuke said.

"No doubt he's in league with Astaroth and his Rapture," she added.

"So what are we going to do about this?" Kasai commented.

"We'll need to increase our training. You two need to unlock the true power of your Reikon Kensei, Shoukin."

"Shoukin? Like what you were going to use before I showed up that night and summoned Hiryuu?" Daisuke asked.

"Precisely. But we won't do that until tonight's training. Saru's waiting for us," Hikari looked down to the school gate where Saru was waiting for them.

They left the roof and rejoined Saru at the gate. A large question popped into Daisuke's mind. Just how was he going to unlock his Shoukin?

**A/N: Ehhh, sorry this episode wasn't as long as the others. I try to make them at least 9 pages or more but this one couldn't quite get there. Maybe next time. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed.**


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